Historical Records and Hanshu
The first section Sima Qian's life and historical records
1, Sima Qian's life and the writing of Historical Records
Sima Qian (former 145- former 87) was born in xia yang (now Hancheng, Shaanxi). The completion of such an epoch-making historical work in his hands is inseparable from subjective and objective factors such as the times and personal experiences at that time.
First of all, thank you for your family influence. His father, Sima Tan, studied with experts in astronomy, Yi-ology and Taoism at that time and wrote a paper on Six Essentials. Sima Qian was deeply influenced by this family with strong academic atmosphere. When he was young, in addition to taking part in some labor, he began to learn the popular script at that time-official script. After Liang Wudi acceded to the throne, Sima Tan was appointed Taishiling and his family moved to Chang 'an. He also studied "ancient prose" (that is, the characters in the pre-Qin period), learned from Dong Zhongshu, the master of Confucian classics at that time, and learned from Kong Anguo the ancient prose "Shangshu". These knowledge preparations are very important for writing history books.
Secondly, Sima Qian recorded, interviewed, collected, read and revised a lot of historical materials, and had personal experience and real feelings about social and political events. At the age of twenty, I had a feat of wandering the country. In the process of roaming, I began to pay attention to searching for historical sites and collecting rumors about people. For example, go to Huaiyin to collect legends about Han Xin; I went to Peixian and Fengxian and collected historical materials of Liu Bang, Cao Can and Xiao He. When I visited Kaifeng, Henan Province, I found that Yimen was the east gate of the girder (now Kaifeng) and so on.
After roaming, he became a doctor. His entourage, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, traveled the mountains and rivers of the motherland, witnessed the ceremonial ceremony of the feudal dynasty, and participated in the feat of blocking the breach of the Yellow River led by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and obtained first-hand information on writing river books. He also served as an envoy to Southwest China and was exposed to the history and life of southwest ethnic minorities, which undoubtedly played a very good role in writing the Biography of Southwest China.
Sima Tan died of illness, and Sima Qian succeeded to the throne with the order of Taishi, so that he could have access to the Book of the Golden Chamber, the book history and archives collected by the royal family.
Third, the influence of the ideological trend of the times. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty only respected Confucianism, and Confucianism was widely circulated. Confucianism attaches great importance to the summary of historical experience and lessons. Confucius personally edited Spring and Autumn Annals on the basis of Lu's history. This had a great influence on Sima Qian, who compared the writing of historical records with Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals.
At the same time, this is also related to Sima Qian's request. In the first year of Yuanfeng (1 10), Sima Tan and Emperor Wu sealed Mount Tai and stayed in Luoyang due to illness. Sima Qian returned from his mission to the southwest and reported to Emperor Wu. When he arrived in Luoyang, he met his dying father, who earnestly asked him to finish his unfinished business, that is, to write history books. Sima Qian made a promise in front of his father. Since then, Sima Qian has regarded writing history as his highest ideal, and has suffered setbacks and perseverance.
Probably in the first year of Taichu (before 104), Sima Qian presided over the work of changing the calendar and began to write history books. He is forty-two years old this year. In the second year of Tian Han (the first 99 years), Li Ling, who surrendered to the Huns in defeat, said a few fair words, which angered Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and was sentenced to imprisonment. After that, he lived in seclusion, wrote resentfully, and worked hard to complete the creation of Historical Records, which was basically written about four years from the beginning (the first 93 years). After that, there is no historical data to test, and it is speculated that he may have died in the last years of Emperor Wu.
2. Historical style
Historical Records is a general history, from the Yellow Emperor to Liang Wudi, describing the historical development of 3,000 years. It created the first biographical style of history books in China, including twelve biographies, eight books, ten tables, thirty books, seventy biographies and one hundred and thirty articles.
"Benji" records the great events of emperors in past dynasties and narrates the political traces of the supreme rulers in past dynasties, and generally adopts the method of chronology; "Table" is a memorabilia in various historical periods, and it is the connection and supplement of the narrative of the whole book. The Book describes the development and present situation of astronomy, calendar, water conservancy, economy, culture and art respectively. Family mainly describes the history of nobles and princes; Biographies are mainly biographies of people of different types, classes and occupations, and also describe the development history of a few foreign and domestic countries.
3. The people's nature of Historical Records
Sima Qian's biography is full of emotion and shows a distinct tendency. The ugly nature of the supreme ruler, such as cruelty, fraud and hypocrisy, is always exposed in some way. For example, Liu Bang was the founding monarch of the Han Dynasty. Sima Qian affirmed his achievements in overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, ending the Chu-Han War and unifying the whole country, and also exposed the disgraceful darkness in Liu Bang's biography. For example, in Biography of Xiang Yu, there is a sharp contrast between their respective performances in the struggle. The battle between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu failed. He looked so timid, wretched and incompetent. He wrote about his greed for money in biographies such as Stay at Houjia, and his cruel nature of suspecting to kill heroes in Xiao Jia and Biography of Huaiyin Houjia. Even the emperors of this dynasty did not shy away, such as the cruel and trustworthy officials who exposed the cruelty of Emperor Wu to the people, the ignorant and superstitious immortals and literati.
The facts about the conspiracy and tendency of the situation of the bureaucratic group and the aristocratic class are vividly described. For example, in Wei's Biography of An Hou, the struggle with Tian Fan was written, which exposed the indifference and dark psychology of this class. Because Sima Qian's Historical Records dared to face the reality and mercilessly exposed the essence of the ruling class, it won the reputation of "Record".
Sima Qian expressed the people's assembly under the cruel oppression of cruel officials, acknowledged its rationality and justice, and broke through class restrictions to some extent. Chen She Uprising was the first peasant uprising in China, which was highly praised and warmly praised. Sima Qian also made a comprehensive summary of Chen She's failure. Sima Qian eulogized Xiang Yu's great contribution to overthrowing the Qin Dynasty, but criticized his tyranny and killing innocent people.
While affirming the great role of heroes in history, Sima Qian also vaguely realized the role of outstanding elements from all walks of life in promoting history. Historical Records has made biographies for businessmen, doctors, chivalrous men, Confucian scholars and debaters, and acknowledged their roles in the historical process. Sima Qian affirmed the rangers who violated the laws of the feudal class, because rangers like Jia Zhu and Guo Jie "inspired people's lives, regardless of merits and demerits" and became social forces to restrain the powerful and save the people from danger at that time. When Sima Qian described the characters in the ruling group, he also measured them by their attitude towards the people. General Li Guang was praised by Sima Qian, whose basic point was his love for soldiers as a child.
Historical Records recorded a series of patriotic heroes, such as Lin Xiangru's moral integrity of "putting national danger first and personal enmity first", and Lian Po's courage of "correcting evil for Zhao", all of which won warm praise from Sima Qian. These images are still good textbooks for patriotic ideological education today.
4. The artistic technique of character description in Historical Records.
1) The characters are placed in the whirlpool of contradictions and conflicts, and their personality characteristics are displayed through their own actions. For example, the section of "Hongmen Banquet" in Biography of Xiang Yu is the first face-to-face contest after the internal contradiction between the two factions in the uprising army rose to the main contradiction after the demise of the Qin Empire. In the sword, there are contradictions between Xiang Yu Group and Liu Bang Group, and there are also struggles between the hawk and the pacifist within Xiang Yu Group, and Xiang Yu is the gathering point of these contradictions. Xiang Yu's handling of various contradictions shows his childish, kind and frank psychological factors, and Liu Bang also shows his flexible and cunning personality characteristics in this scene. In the section "Debate at the Court" in The Biography of Hou An of Wei, the contradiction between Tian Fen and Chao Fen reached a white-hot level, and the ministers of the DPRK and China each showed themselves in this contradiction: they were sophisticated and tactful, saying that they were right, affirming Tian Fen, handing over the contradiction, and "only knowing what to do"; Zheng Dangshi began to say that Dou Ying was right, but later he dared not insist. There is not much pen and ink, but it outlines the face of bureaucrats.
2) Sima Qian is also good at choosing expressive life details to reveal the characters' personalities and inner world. For example, if you write Shi Qing, "I am a servant and I am a member of the royal family." Celebrate the number of horses according to the strategy, raise your hand and say' six horses'. "Through this small incident, Shi Qing's cautious personality and his mood of being with you like a tiger are vividly on the paper.
3) Highlight the main characters' personalities from different angles. For example, in the portrayal of Xin, the author focuses on his face to meet Hou Sheng, and goes straight to the position of childe through Hou Sheng's unyielding posture. Hou Sheng deliberately stayed in the city for a long time to observe the son, and wrote that the son secretly scolded Hou Sheng from the rider, which surprised the guests. It is through the different attitudes of these different characters that the lowliness of Corporal Xin is highlighted.
4) Through the dialogues and monologues of the characters, the characters' personalities, voices and smiles are successfully displayed. For example, both Liu Bang and Xiang Yu have seen the trip to Qin Shihuang. When Xiang Yu saw Qin Shihuang crossing Zhejiang, he blurted out, "He can take the place of others", which shows his ambition and reckless frankness. Liu Bang saw Qin Shihuang's trip to Xianyang and said, "Wow! The gentleman should be like this, "euphemistically twists and turns, and the mind of coveted supreme status is also revealed. In "Biography of Prime Minister Zhang", "I can't speak, but I don't know its future; Although your majesty wants to abolish the prince, he will not be given a letter in the official period, but will write Zhou Chang's stuttering vividly.
Sima Qian often used "cross-examination" to avoid repetition when writing biographies. When the same thing involves several people, it is described in detail in one place, omitted in another place, and sometimes marked with "words in something". This kind of "mutual understanding" not only avoids repetition, but also plays a role in highlighting the main character of the characters. For example, in "Biography of Xiang Yu", Xiang Yu's arrogant personality characteristics are mainly highlighted; Other aspects that contradict this main feature are supplemented in other people's biographies, which not only highlight the dominant personality characteristics, but also avoid paying attention to one thing and losing another, thus achieving the integrity of personality.
Section 2 Ban Gu and Hanshu
First, the style of Hanshu
Hanshu is the first dynastic history of China, covering the history of the Western Han Dynasty from the first year of Emperor Gaozu to the fourth year of Emperor Wangmang. His style is basically inherited from Hanshu, but changed from "book" to "ambition", and cancelled "aristocratic family" and merged into "biographies". * * * Twelve biographies, eight tables, ten records, seventy biographies and one hundred articles.
Second, the writing process of Hanshu.
Ban Gu's father, Ban Biao, continued the Historical Records into several biographies of Historical Records; In the first year of Yongping in Ming Dynasty (58), Ban Gu began to compile Hanshu on the basis of his father's works. Five years later, he was denounced, arrested and imprisoned for tampering with the history of the country without permission. He was rescued by his younger brother Ban Chao and read the biography written by Ming Di himself. No punishment, work for Lantai, and make history. It was basically completed in the seventh year of the founding of Emperor Zhang (82), and it took 28 years before and after. Part of "Ambition" and "Table" were written by his sisters Ban Zhao and Masubu after his death.
Third, the comparison between Hanshu and Shiji.
Hanshu recorded the history of the Western Han Dynasty with a historian's pen, which objectively and truly reflected the fatuity and cruelty of the ruling group in the Han Dynasty, the coldness and ruthlessness of the upper class, the social crisis and the sufferings of people's livelihood, and the love, hatred and criticism of people with lofty ideals who contributed to society, including the author. This is the similarity between Hanshu and Shiji. However, because Ban Gu was born in an era of autocratic oppression and strict Confucian classics, and because of the influence of Ban Gu's family tradition and his own weakness, the historical view and spirit of Hanshu are not as good as those of Shiji.
1 and the Bangu era, centralization was strengthened and Confucian classics were severely ruled. What's more, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty directly intervened in Ban Gu's revision of history. Therefore, it is often unfair and objective for Hanshu to praise and criticize people's events, and Shiji has almost no critical edge.
① Disapproving of reform: It is better to destroy and demote Chao Cuo and hurt loyal ministers than to have three. (Biography of Jin Shu Zhang Fuchuan)
(2) "I see Ban Gu's Hanshu. In the national system, it is decorated with a master, restraining loyal ministers, and teaching is noble and humble. Current affairs are only about matters, not good history. " (Ma Zong's Yilin Volume 5 quotes Yang Quan's Theory of Things)
3 "money talks, regardless of the ability; It is expensive and false, but it is just. " (Complete Works of Mr. Su in Su Xun, Volume 9)
(4) "Ban Gu's name is Chen Sheng, but he fell to the first place in biographies. His name is Ji Xiang, but he fell to the second place in biographies. This is based on success or failure, and there are too many pens to cover up the merits and demerits of losing history. " (Collected Works of Mr. Heshan by Wei Liaoweng (Volume 190))
⑤ "The difference between dynamic and fixed is of great significance in the historical concept. Historical Records takes the whole society as the center of history, so it can be regarded as the history of the people. Below Banshu, the emperor's room is the center of history, and history has become an imperial genealogy. " (Liang Qichao's China Historical Research Law)
2. Sima Qian wrote Historical Records, which is extensive and profound, with high historical knowledge; Hanshu is of great help to people. Although it is praised and criticized, it has little sustenance, and its historical knowledge is not as good as Shiji.
Gu Ri Zhi Lu: "Class is a book, which is tied to a canon and cannot be changed. For example, Kuai Tong's story is recorded at the end of Historical Records of Huaiyin, which makes people feel unfinished. In the Biography of the King of Huainan, Wu was asked by the king, and his modality came out and his writing was wonderful. Today, I know to delete it, but with Kuai, Wu Hejiang Chong and Fu Gong as biographies, Kuai is the most unjust, followed by Wu, and Huai Biography is sparse and not read. "
3. Hanshu followed the style of Historical Records, but made some changes. It uses the words in Historical Records and omits some words. The change of its style, gains and losses see each other; The omission of his words often loses Sima Qian's micro-purport and vivid narrative.
Hanshu inherits the biographical style of Shiji in genre. It was also slightly changed, and the book was changed to ambition to save the family. The book is divided into twelve biographies, eight tables, ten records and seventy biographies, with more than 800,000 words in one hundred articles. From the first year of Emperor Gaozu (206 BC) to the fourth year of Emperor Wangmang (23 AD), * * * 230 years.
Although Hanshu is a dynastic history and its biographies are limited to the Western Han Dynasty, Eight Tables and Ten Records is an exception. For example, in the ancient and modern figures table, ancient and modern figures are divided into nine grades and listed among them. "Guan Bai Gong Qing Biao" dates back to the official system of the Qin Dynasty and is not limited to the Western Han Dynasty. Ten kinds of records, such as "Rite, Music, Food and Geography", have been described since ancient times.
4. Hanshu narrates the history of a generation, which is convenient to draw materials from, and because the style of writing in the Eastern Han Dynasty is becoming more and more gorgeous, the narrative is meticulous and accurate, and the words are orderly and elegant. Generally speaking, it is not as literary as Historical Records, and it is full of charm.
5. From the academic and philological point of view, Hanshu not only adds academic deeds to the original biographies of Historical Records, but also includes many academic articles and practical articles, and even has a special Literature and Art Annals to discuss academic origins. Bringing cultural scholarship into the historical perspective is a great contribution of Hanshu.